In 2002, Savannah’s beloved and nationally acclaimed College of Art and Design (SCAD) expanded into international territory by assuming the Lacoste School of the Arts in Lacoste, France.

Now they’re conquering Asia.  I realize I am probably the last one to tell you about their newest international expansion into Hong Kong, but we couldn’t let it go without giving them props.

From the land of Cantonese culture, cosmopolitan consumerism and martial arts comes a collegiate infusion of digital media production for SCAD.  The college will open its four-year branch campus there in 2010, occupying the historic North Kowloon Magistracy Building, which will be restored at SCAD’s hands (see rendition below).  The Hong Kong satellite will offer majors in animation, interactive design and game development, motion media design, visual effects, advertising design, photography, graphic design and illustration.

The process to acquire the building was a competitive one, with SCAD being selected out of over 100 other applicants.  Said SCAD President Paula Wallace,  “SCAD will be the first U.S. university to establish a degree-granting campus in Hong Kong, and we believe SCAD-Hong Kong will become the preeminent site for the study of digital media in Asia.” (View SCAD’s trailer on their move to Asia.)

It’s exotic.  It’s tropical.  It’s carbon neutral.  Have I died and gone to heaven?

With the escalating concerns over global climate change, many people are rethinking the way things are done.  Thanks to Savannah based design company, DALU Design Group, there’s one more way you can be an environmentally-conscious consumer.  It’s called STAR Island (STAR standing for Sustainable Terrain & Resources) and it is an off-the-grid luxury vacation destination located near the Bahamian island of Eleuthera.

DALU Design Group is a progressive firm of “eco-tects” (ecotecture anyone?), planners and consultants catering to eco-friendly design and lifestyle. Located in Savannah, DALU is led by David Sklar (designer and visionary) and Luciana Thompson (principal and LEED consultant.)  They also come complete with a highly qualified staff, and seem equipped to handle all factes of green design and construction.

I guess that’s why the New York Times named STAR Island their Eco-destination of the Year.   Whoa.

When you wish upon an Island

STAR Island offers many of the amenities you’d expect from a 5-star accommodation: a full-service spa, restaurants, pools, boat slips, picturesque views of white sand beaches, palm trees and aqua-colored water.  But this luxury vacation community offers more than just a relaxing, good time.  It presents an environmentally responsible approach to resort development for the discerning eco-tourist.

With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, I have been considering what to buy/do/say to show my man how much I love him.  It may well be a Hallmark holiday, but February 14th is a great personal reminder to be appreciative of what you have and, perhaps, to infuse a little more romance into the mix.  Let’s admit it: love is hard.  If you don’t have it, it’s hard to get.  If you do, it’s hard to maintain.  Like everything in life, a relationship takes oodles of work and sometimes you just need a little help bringing back the mojo.

Fret no more, wayward lovers for the solution apparently lies in your own backyard.  According to Travel + Leisure Magazine, when your relationship is in need an infusion of romance you ought look no further than downtown Savannah. Because – in addition to a host of other accolades – Savannah has just been crowned one of the 50 Best Romantic Getaways. That should make Valentine’s Day plans a little more manageable, eh?

Here’s what they had to say:

Savannah gets around.  At this very moment in fact, our fair city is being pimped around the globe, courtesy of Sky Magazine (yea, a reach of 11 million).  We’re a favorite feature location for the in-flight magazine and travel companion of Delta (and now Northwest) Airlines.  In recent years, they’ve covered our history, fare, travel accommodations and business community at least five times.  And in the current issue, Sky shares with savvy globetrotters and jetsetters tale of our cozy, creative business-friendly environment.  That’s right, Savannah’s Creative Coast as light reading during taxi and take off.

An Industry of Ideas presents a handful of local businesses of varying specialties, at various stages of development, that all have two things in common: they love doing business in Savannah and a large portion of their product is ideas.  Some of our well-known compadres make the list, including Hannah Byrne at Smack Dab Studios (a graphic design and website development firm that started in Atlanta in 2004 and relocated operations to Savannah, much to our delight), Chad Warner and the gang at BlueLime (a high-tech architectural rendering and architectural animation company that emerged from SCAD connections), and Howard Paul and Bob Benedetto of Benedetto Guitars (the world’s premier and award-winning jazz guitar maker that overlooked Atlanta and Nashville to move it’s hub to Savannah).  The featurette focuses on what brought our creative friends to the Creative Coast and what keeps them here.